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Monroe City Democrat. December 1, 1898, Image 1

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Monroe City Democrat

The Monroe City Democrat was established in 1888 by the Democrat Printing Company in Monroe City, Missouri. Published on Thursdays through October 1916, the eight-page newspaper was dedicated to the interests of citizens in Marion, Monroe, and Ralls counties in Northeastern Missouri. From November 2, 1916, until March 31, 1917, the Democrat appeared every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday as a four-page paper, but in April 1917, the Democrat returned to an eight-page format and was published on Friday.

William J. Rouse was editor and publisher for over 22 years, from 1894 until December 1916. In the November 30, 1916 issue of the paper, Rouse wrote his farewell, stating: “At this time we desire to thank the citizens of Monroe City and vicinity for their liberal patronage of the Democrat. The more they have done for us, the more we have been able to do for the community. We believe that if the people were brought to realize how much good a newspaper does for a community, they would give a greater patronage, because there is no agency that can or will do as much for any community as a prosperous newspaper.” After his departure, Herman W. Bell became editor and publisher.

The Democrat celebrated the holiday season each year by issuing elaborate “Christmas Numbers” which featured beautifully illustrated cover pages, and in 1913, it published the December 25 issue “a day early in order that the force can take Christmas day like other people.”

Unfortunately, the Democrat’s publishing pride was abruptly halted a few years later. During World War I, a newsprint shortage forced many smaller newspapers to abandon publishing, and the Monroe City Democrat was one of the casualties. The shortage was the byproduct of a coal shortage which was affecting paper mills across the United States. The paper mills could not operate without coal to power them. Thus, many were shuttered, causing newsprint prices to skyrocket to “considerably more than 100 per cent above the 1914 and 1915 price.” Larger and more powerful newspapers could obtain the necessary paper, but many of the smaller county newspapers across the nation were forced to close. In its final issue on November 28, 1919, the Democrat stated that it is “forced to discontinue publication until the paper situation is cleared up and it is possible to get print paper.”